Mayor tests makeshift raft in prep for Cuba-to-Florida trip

DeBary Mayor Clint Johnson tweets it's 'great day'

SANFORD, Fla. – DeBary Mayor Clint Johnson is preparing for his 90-mile trip from Cuba to Key West on a homemade raft.

Johnson spent Thursday morning testing out his raft on Lake Monroe in Sanford.

Johnson said despite warnings from the U.S. Coast Guard to reconsider his trip, he is staying on course.

"There's no law that prevents an American from coming home on a boat. It's a smaller sailboat, for lack of a better definition," said Johnson.

Johnson built the vessel using four 55-gallon drums, a 2 x 4, a piece of plywood and some metal from a junkyard. He said he purchased a couple of locks online to secure the oars but had to repair them after the first test run.